Nicholas students pilot ‘virtual computing lab’

By Cara Bonnett

DURHAM, NC — Starting this fall, a new “virtual computing lab” (VCL) pilot will allow students in the Nicholas School of the Environment to reserve a computer with specialized software and access it remotely over the Internet.

The pilot, which leverages hardware donated by IBM and software developed at N.C. State University, enables “anytime, anywhere” access to expensive, license-restricted software packages such as ArcGIS, NVivo and Stata for more than 250 students in the Master of Environmental Management (MEM) and Master of Forestry programs.

The project is part of a larger initiative by the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the Provost’s Office to explore new models for enabling broader access and more efficient use of Duke’s server infrastructure, officials said.

Full text of article: Nicholas students pilot ‘virtual computing lab’